Should I get a 550??

[bobbybe]

Hello all,
I have a trex 450sev2 and a b400, but want a bigger heli and I've been considering a hurricane 550 for a month or so now but I need some info yo.

First of all, I gotta say that this forum seems pretty cool and if I do get a 550 I'll be in good hands. However, I was hoping to ask a couple q's before making this commitment

1. I found a deal for a 550 cfs and upgraded motor (1100kv). the price isn't that bad at all for it, but I was wondering if there were any issues with the cf frame. It seems like the battery mounting may be a bit different on it. Also, how much more oomph does the 1100 kv motor have?

2. I like mild 3d (aka loops, rolls, and starting to fly inverted a bit), and I want to have a heli that can do maybe like piro flips but not necessarily crack flight- i'm definitely no sbazo. does the 550 work ok in this area?

3. How does the 550 compare to the trex 500 for an intermediate flyer? (ps- I like to fly smooth, no thumb jamming for this guy)

Thanks for taking the time to help a young man who wants to step up his electric game and go big!

[mysticmead]

short answer... get the 550... you'll love it..the CF frame is strong and doesn't have the bad flex problems that the plastic frames have.. the 1100kv has plenty of punch... but it's harder on the lipos.. a Z30-1110 would be a good choice in motor and is easier on the batteries..


now... you say you want a heli to do piro flips... that tells me you really want to move into hard core 3D.. while the Hurri can do it with some CNC upgrades the trex 500 will do the hard core 3D out of the box.

personally, I'd tell you to get a Hurri 550 to start.. then a trex 500 as your skill outgrows the 550. you know you can't have just one

oh yeah... get ready to sell the 400 and 450... cause once you go big... the little heli's just don't get much air time

[bobbybe]

Thanks! i guess piro flips is a bit of wishful thinking, I want a good stable platform for just flyin around and trying a couple new things.

[kahn10]

hey bobbybe.......the hurricane is an awesome platform for bumping your skills up a notch or ten.its cheap to repair and most of its shortcoming's(soon to be all i think) have been sorted by the semi-sane individuals(ok semi's a lie) that frequent this forum.you won't i think regret it....

marco

[bobbybe]

well, i just put my order in for a new hurricane 550 cfs w/ 1100kv brushless and 75A esc!! ooooh i just can't wait!

I'll post up after the build (which may take a while because I still need servos/gyro)

Speaking of which, does anyone know of a good cyclic servo/ tail servo/ gyro combination? Is it important to have metal gears for cyclic in a heli this size?

[xomby]

Well Conga Rats!! I think you will LOVE this heli!

Also, it's nice that you noticed, but this particular group of people is the BEST on the interweb! Just ask us!

[mysticmead]

congrats... for servos.. get the JR/Spektrum DS821 they're cheap and work great..

[Borneoben]

Get The cheap DS821s fr cyclic and put the saved money into Batts

You really need to be flying with 3000mAH plus batts with minimum of 20c

if you want to fly the smaller 2500mAh batts then you will need a minimum of 25c
but that 1100 motor will kill them in short time and you can only expect to see 3-4 min flights

get some good size batts like the 3300mAh 20c Zippys and you cant go wrong.

you wont go wrong with a GY401 and 9254 servo combo or you could use the cheaper but same spec Hyperion Atlas HP-DS20GMD.
If you got thecash then a Spartan DS 760 would be my choice
and back at the budget end again the HLogitec 2100 seems to have a good rep.

Try http://www.skyhobbies.com.sg/servos.htm
they have a good deal on an atlas Servo set including the tail servo and 3 cyclic servos for $135USD
3 x HP-DS20FMD 1 x HP-DS20GMD

Oh and dont for get the for sale ads you will always find a GY401 and servo on there for good money.

Hope this helps

Ben

[bobbybe]

Thanks for the imput. I could use all the help i can get to set this thing up! I've built 2 450 sized, but this is the first ever biggie so most of this is new to me.

wazzer- what would be a good sized motor to get that won't ruin my batts?
I have flightpower evo-lite 11.1 2500mah 3s.
The 1100 motor came with the deal- should I sell and go smaller?

waiting patiently for my 550 to arrive~~~

[kahn10]

whats the c rating of those batteries bro?the 1100kv/75amp combo will eat any
small batteries in seconds.if you keep the motor but go to the 50amp esc you'll get reasonable flytimes but not with spectacular headspeeds.......

[bobbybe]

it says 18c continuous and 28c max burst, so I'm guessing to go off of the continuous rate?

[Drew816]

For the most efficient yet very capable motor, get the Tonic-X Z20a-980 from Helidirect (or the Z-Power version from Flying-Hobby). Great motor, well known around here, no issues or disappointments there. You'll still need to be gentle with your T-Rex 450 sized Lipos but this motor will help quite a bit in comparison to the Gaui H-18H 1100kv "Super-Pig" motor.

I'm also running a Scorpion 3026-1210 motor and I will be comparing it to the Super-Pig with an EagleTree at some point in the future but it is 'bigger' at 1210kv versus 1100 so even if it is more efficient it's not exacty on equal terms either. There is a 3026-1000 version available but I don't know too much about them and the Z20a is a 'known entity' so I say spend a few extra bucks and go in that direction.

Good luck and Happy Flying!

[Drew816]

Originally Posted by bobbybe

it says 18c continuous and 28c max burst, so I'm guessing to go off of the continuous rate?

Negative, you go off the 18C continuous and those are going to be grossly under-rated for the Gaui even with a Z20a-980 motor for anything but hovering IMHO. But hover practice is always a good thing or just use these on your smaller helo's and buy some bigger Gaui class lipos as cash becomes available; Zippy 3300's are $84 for a pair plus shipping from HobbyCity (when they're in stock) so that's not all that bad. Hell I paid almost that much for one FlightPower EVO25 11.1 2100mah lipo but yes, it's another cash outlay...

[bobbybe]

so the zippy 3300s are decent quality and will work ok with that [1100kv/75a] motor/esc combo? i think im going to post up the motor/esc for sale/trade soon to downgrade (they came with the combo deal and it was the same price to get them in with the cfs then to just get the cfs... weird huh)

[Drew816]

Well the 1100 Gaui motor works fine, it's just an amp sucking pig. The Gaui 75 amp ESC seems to do pretty good but it's no Jazz or Castle Creations either so keep that in mind. If you've got the swag to 'upgrade' further I'd say do it now, sell off these parts and get what you really need so you're not having to upgrade and trying to sell off now 'used parts' later.

I had an Align 75 ESC catch fire and flambe my Gaui 550 here a few weeks ago; $94 wasted and nothing from Align's 'warranty' in the process. I bought a NIP CC80 for $96 shipped which is what I should have done in the first place!

The Zippy 3300's are a good starting place for lipos; not as elegant nor as "locally supported' as Outrage or other US distributed/made lipos but CHEAP and so far they seem to be holding up quite well. I have two that are fire damaged that are still flying fine for example but I can't say how many total charges they'll hold up too either. Lots of good 'high quality' lipos out there if you want to go in that direction of course but just to get into the Gaui Game the 3300 or 3500 Zippy's are a good bet (though the later are bigger and tougher to fit in the canopy).

[bobbybe]

sweet this be some good a$$ info. I think I will try and downgrade (if i can find a buyer that is) to the z20a / 50a esc. maybe castle creations. so do I also need to buy a lipo for my rx? i have the spektrum ar6200. I've seen all these little batteries for the electronics... never had to do that for the ol trex450 or b400

[rotorhead58d]

Originally Posted by bobbybe

sweet this be some good a$$ info. I think I will try and downgrade (if i can find a buyer that is) to the z20a / 50a esc. maybe castle creations. so do I also need to buy a lipo for my rx? i have the spektrum ar6200. I've seen all these little batteries for the electronics... never had to do that for the ol trex450 or b400

i would say watch bob's videos on bec 101. there is also a good video of a set up for a castle creations esc there too. govenor mode, when set up properly is a more stable platform imho.

yes, you will need a bec and a rx lipo for the servos and the gyro. there is no bec on a gaui 50 or a CC60/80.

[bobbybe]

so what do you guys think of the following battery?
ZIPPY-H 3300mAh 6S1P 20-30C Lipoly Pack

if i get the 3300 6s, then I only need to run one right? i know that sounds a bit dumb but i'm just not used to all this big heli stuff.

[rotorhead58d]

Originally Posted by bobbybe

so what do you guys think of the following battery?
ZIPPY-H 3300mAh 6S1P 20-30C Lipoly Pack

if i get the 3300 6s, then I only need to run one right? i know that sounds a bit dumb but i'm just not used to all this big heli stuff.

i've heard good reports of that battery. yes, it is a 6S, but you have to get two, otherwise you'll have too much down time.

[Wildcat9]

Originally Posted by rotorhead58d

i've heard good reports of that battery. yes, it is a 6S, but you have to get two, otherwise you'll have too much down time.

or 3 or 4 or 5! 2 is a good place to start and add others as your budget allows. I've worked my way up to 5 for my 450.